DFA Celebrates Museum and Galleries Month with Museo Pambata
DFA-OPCD with Museo Pambata Foundation Inc., DFA personnel and their children, as well as participants from Canossa-Tondo Children’s Foundation, Inc. (Photo credit: DFA-OPCD James Ryan Artiaga).
PASAY 11 OCTOBER 2023 – In celebration of Museum and Galleries Month 2023, the Department of Foreign Affairs - Office of Public and Cultural Diplomacy (OPCD), in collaboration with Museo Pambata Foundation Inc., organized an on-site event entitled “Laro, Sining, at Imahinasyon: An Interactive Learn and Play Experience” at Museo Pambata. Held every October, the theme for this year’s Museum and Galleries Month is “Exhibits and Reflections: Crafting Opportunities for the New World.”
In his speech, DFA Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Cultural Diplomacy Gonaranao B. Musor underscored that “Museums and galleries are important because they serve as spaces for learning about Philippine history, immersing in our diverse cultural heritage, and promoting creative and artistic expressions. This year, the theme for the Museum and Galleries Month invites all of us to reflect on the role of artistic expressions for social transformation.” DAS Musor was joined by Museo Pambata Foundation Inc. Member of the Board of Trustees, Ms. Elizabeth Ann Chan-Parpan, Executive Director Albert Benjamin Torralba, and other DFA officers and staff in formally opening the event.
The children of DFA personnel as well as those from the Canossa-Tondo Children’s Foundation, Inc., together with their parents and/or guardians, embarked on a guided tour of Museo Pambata and its marvelous theme rooms: Pamayanan (Culture), Parian (Market), Karagatan (Sea), Habi (Weave), Himig (Music), and Kalikasan (Environment). Through the interactive nature of the theme rooms and corresponding exhibits, the participants learned more about Philippine cultural heritage, marine biodiversity, and natural resources. During the event, there was a short demonstration about natural dyeing using plants and other organic materials conducted by the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Textile Research.
(Left to Right): Children of DFA Personnel and Canossa-Tondo Foundation Inc., explore the different exhibit rooms of Museo Pambata. They also learn about natural dyeing from DOST-PTIR. (Photo credit: DFA-OPCD James Ryan Artiaga).
The participants also participated in an arts and crafts workshop wherein they created their own Filipino “maskaras” using paper materials. They also listened to an engaging storytelling session featuring “Si Pagong at Si Matsing (The Monkey and the Turtle)” by Dr. Jose Rizal. Jollibee Foods Corporation sponsored the lunch of the participants.
(Left to Right): Children from the DFA and Canossa-Tondo Children’s Foundation, Inc. make their own “maskaras”, listen to a storytelling session, and take a photo with the Jollibee mascot. (Photo credit: DFA-OPCD James Ryan Artiaga).
As part two of the DFA’s Museum and Galleries Month celebration, an online panel discussion will be held on 19 October 2023 with the topic “Museo Pambata and the Filipino Children: Championing Learning Through Art and Play,” with speakers from the fields of education, arts and museology. There will also be a launch of the 360° virtual museum tour of Museo Pambata. The panel discussion will be livestreamed and may be accessed via this YouTube link: https://youtube.com/live/rBn1-4TaGJ0?feature=share.
The Museo Pambata’s operating hours are on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. For more information, interested visitors may visit their website museopambata.com.ph or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. END